43
Soccer league to get a home
GIRARD — The city is working toward making a new home for 530 kids.
If all goes well with those efforts, the Girard Youth Soccer League will be moving into its new complex at Liberty Park in two years.
No more tearing up the baseball field at Tod Park.
“We were approached by the baseball league to find another home,” explained Damon Lariviere, vice president of the soccer league, because of the damage to the field that was still apparent after soccer season was over in the fall and baseball season began again in the spring.
At one point, the soccer league was even considering leaving the city and taking up residence in Liberty Township, which was welcoming it, Lariviere said.
But in the end, the league advanced toward its goal — a home of its own — with an assist from Girard.
Girard council decided at a meeting last month to let the mayor hire an engineer to design the complex, said council member Mike Costarella.
Now, the goal is for the soccer players to have their own fields — five of them, to accommodate each age division in the league. They’ll have concession stands and restrooms as well, Lariviere said.
Seidler Engineering of Liberty Township will design the complex. The engineering will cost the city $2,000 to $4,000. It has to be done before the city can apply for an Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant to do the upgrades, Costarella said.
The city is getting something out of the deal too, said Costarella — Liberty Park is going to get a face-lift and become a center for the city’s youth.
Not only will the soccer league play there, he said, but Girard High School could lease an all-purpose field at the park that’s close to the high school’s stadium for its baseball team. The Girard Baseball Association could play there as well, he said.
He said a midget football team, the Girard Little Indians, could play on another all-purpose field there.
The Girard High School band could even practice at the park, he said. The Boy Scouts already have a cabin there.
Costarella said it’s not certain yet how much the project is going to cost overall. He said the city will apply for grants and accept donations toward the rehab.
“We plan on doing it in phases,” he said, with the first phase “very cheap” because much of the land there has already been graded.
He said the city may know more about the project cost in the next month.